Gluten-Free Quinoa Pizza Crust or Flatbread

There are very few people who don’t enjoy pizza. Unfortunately for those like myself, the gluten found in wheat can be a problem. Some don’t tolerate it well; others have to avoid it altogether. Because of this, I had to avoid pizza for a while. This amazing gluten-free quinoa pizza crust comes to the rescue. It’s also delicious as a flatbread, spread with pesto or dipped into soup.

You can imagine the joy I felt when I discovered thatquinoa can be used to make pizza crust. One of these ingredients is quinoa, a grain that I was already eating plenty of.

Quinoa is quite similar to rice; however, it contains more protein. In fact, it is a complete protein source, making it an ideal choice for vegans & vegetarians because it provides all the essential amino acids required by the body.

Quinoa is also highly nutritious, with a cooked cup providing significant amounts of B vitamins, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese and zinc. The antioxidants it contains help to fight inflammation and its high fiber content benefits your digestive system. All in all, quinoa is a highly filling superfood that you should incorporate more of into your diet.

Please note that this makes a fairly small crust, only about 10 inches in diameter, which is enough for 2 people. If you’d like more, you can multiply the recipe, but do it in batches as directed below.

1. Begin by covering the quinoa with plenty of water and allowing it to soak overnight. This helps to fluff it up and gets rid of the bitter outer shell. Once soaked, drain the water through a fine sieve and rinse the quinoa under a running tap for half a minute or so.

2. Place the quinoa in a food processor with 1/3 cups water and allow it to run until itbecomes a homogenous thick runny mixture. This will take a few minutes, and you’ll need to stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the container from time to time.

3. The next step depends of how you will be cooking the pizza. If you have a pizza oven with a pizza stone, spread the mixture evenly over the stone. If you’re using a regular oven, pour the mixture onto a baking tray that has been lined with greased parchment paper. Aim for the mixture to have a thickness of roughly 1/4 of an inch in both cases. This doesn’t make a large crust; it will only be about 10 minutes in diameter.

4. Bake the mixture for 8 to 15 minutes, depending on the temperature of your oven. Most pizza ovens will heat up to at least 700º F, so 8 to 10 minutes is enough. For ordinary ovens with at a temperature of 400º F, 15 minutes is recommended. Let it bake for 10 minutes, then carefully flip over and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until golden on both sides.